An Englishman was cleared yesterday of inflicting a 12-inch wound to a doorman's back in a Dublin pub on the night before the Lansdowne Road soccer riot in 1995. Judge Joseph Mathews directed the jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to find Mr Michael Williams not guilty of the four charges he faced. Mr Williams was discharged.
Mr Williams (26), of Pine Tree Lodge, Slaley Hall, Northumberland, was acquitted of two charges of maliciously wounding Mr Derek Doherty at a disco in McGrath's public house, O'Connell Street, on February 15th, 1995. He was also acquitted of assaulting Mr Doherty and of violent disorder.
A second Englishman, Andrew Hodges (29), Bolton Road, Wigan, pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of violent disorder in McGrath's. He was ordered to pay £2,000 to the Childline charity. Judge Mathews said he would apply the Probation Act if that was done.
